Walmart Associate Conquers North Pole Marathon

Some people will go a long way to support charity. For Dorn Wenninger, vice president of global food sourcing for Walmart U.S., not even the North Pole is too far.

Dorn was one of 56 runners from 21 countries who
participated in the 14th annual North Pole Marathon on April 9. Dubbed
the “World’s Coolest Marathon,” the
26.2-mile race not only challenges endurance athletes with its snow-covered,
icy terrain and bone-chilling weather, it also supports a variety of worthy
causes with hundreds of thousands of dollars raised each year.

Crossing the finish line after five hours and 17 minutes,
Dorn captured first place and secured his spot in an exclusive group of 428
people worldwide who have completed the marathon since 2002.

This year’s competitors ran to raise money for a variety of
causes worldwide. Dorn, who has been with Walmart almost six years, serves on
the boards of two nonprofit organizations: Cobblestone Farm in Northwest
Arkansas and Amigos de las Americas.
He will continue to raise money for Cobblestone
Farm, which produces organic produce that is then donated to local food
banks.

“I’m passionate about healthy eating, farming and produce,”
he said.

His passion also extends to running. In January, he participated
in a marathon in Trinidad and Tobago, where the temperature was 130 degrees
warmer than the lowest temperature he experienced while at the North Pole.

Knowing that running on snow and ice would be different, he
trained for the North Pole event on dirt and gravel trails. But the terrain
wasn’t his only concern. With temperatures between -25 and -43 degrees
Fahrenheit, his respiration froze and built up on his face mask. He used three
different masks throughout the five-hour run and ended up with early signs of
frost bite on his nose.

His North Pole adventure was supposed to last one and half
days, but a crack in the runway prevented Dorn from flying out for three days. Despite
the delay, he said the trip was an amazing experience.

Running is a great way to deal with stress, he said – even
on 6 feet of ice floating on 14,000 feet of Arctic Ocean. It also can have a
positive impact on other areas of life, from personal to business.

“Achieving the seemingly impossible helps demonstrate that
almost anything is possible, even when others don’t believe it is,” he said.
“Determination, focus and persistence go a long way in achieving goals.”

Dorn never imagined he’d win the North Pole race, but with
that victory in hand, he now has his eye on a few other challenges just as
difficult – or more so.

“It's
incredible what people are capable of when they put their mind to it,” he said.
“The thought of running a marathon at the North Pole sounds so extreme that
it's virtually unbelievable. I welcomed the challenge of proving, to myself,
that it is possible.”

Blue Star Families Helps Unsung Heroes: Military Spouses

When I said, “I do” under a bower of roses to my husband, resplendent in his Marine Corps dress blues, I had no idea that the years ahead would bring the 9/11 terrorist attacks, the long war, many combat deployments and many moves.

I love my husband and found extraordinary meaning in helping to serve my country. Along the way, I also found that the costs can be very high.

Like many military spouses, I moved. I moved and moved again. I’ve lost careers that I cared about – and was good at. These jobs helped support my family while resettling my children and maintaining a home for my husband as he retrained and left again. It’s a lonely place to be. But I wasn’t alone.

Many military spouses deal with additional obstacles like putting the needs of the military above their own career goals. These obstacles can make full-time employment nearly impossible. That’s one of the reasons why a group of military spouses (including myself) got together in 2009 to create Blue Star Families, a national nonprofit dedicated to empowering military families. We want our families to thrive by providing them resources, support and connections to their civilian communities.

According to Blue Star Families’ annual Military Family Lifestyle Survey, most military spouses are not working. More than 75% of military spouses surveyed say that being a military spouse has hurt their career, and more than half of those not employed are actively seeking work. Of the minority of spouses who do work consistently, most earn less than $20,000 a year.

This kind of financial instability hurts military families. We know that dual income military families are able to better participate in their local communities and thrive while they serve. But, unlike their civilian counterparts, most military families face more hardships and uncertainties, because they volunteered to serve.

This is why Blue Star Families applauds Walmart for their new initiative to tackle this challenge affecting our military and their families. Walmart is rolling out their Military Spouse Career Connection. Beginning November 12, 2018, military spouses who apply for a job with Walmart or Sam’s Club will be given preferential hiring status.

Military spouses move so frequently that delays in hiring can mean they are not able to work at all during a duty station. Walmart and Sam’s Club can be a particularly good career path for military spouses, because there’s almost certainly a Walmart store anywhere the military sends families in the United States.

Blue Star Families is also working to solve the problem of military spouse unemployment. One of our major initiatives in this area is Spouseforce, an interactive platform for career-minded military spouses. It works in some ways like a dating app--both employer and employee can identify a possibly compatible match before making any contact.

It’s my hope that our combined efforts will help military families become more financially independent, and that spouses will have greater access to fulfilling, meaningful careers they can take with them wherever the military sends them.

I invite you to learn more about Blue Star Families and join us as a Blue Star Neighbor to show you’re a supporter of military families. When you stand with us, you help us create more opportunities for military families in your neighborhood, across the country and around the world.

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FEBRUARY 8, 2019 5:31 AM

michael wifing

I'm currently on my tight diet right now, and loose quite of weight because of careful planning of the diet. Finding lots of information online is indeed helpful in my diet program. Seriously, you can find lots of information everywhere on the web here. I can get insight and information regarding my diet plan and overall health.

DECEMBER 27, 2018 1:57 PM

Arash Sadaf

We have to support our military family they are doing such a big job and they are very important to our country

Five Reasons to Revisit Walmart’s Vitamin Aisle

Eating a healthy, balanced diet is a vital part of leading an active life. But, even the most health-conscious of us need a boost from time to time.

That’s why we’re reimagining our vitamin department at Walmart to provide more options for well-balanced nutrition and the prevention of chronic disease. We’re expanding beyond multivitamins and traditional supplements like calcium and vitamin C to include many more of the vitamins, minerals, herbs and powders our customers are looking for as they work to become the best versions of themselves. We’re offering a broad assortment of trusted national brands as well as innovative new items from our own Spring Valley.

Here are five updates you won’t want to miss:

Something’s Fishy … And That’s a Good Thing! Do you eat 8 or more ounces of oily fish every week? If you answered no, you’re like most Americans who aren’t getting the recommended amount of omega-3 fats in their diet. We’re introducing three new Spring Valley supplements that offer physician-recommended quantities in 500mg, 1000mg and 2000mg. Our new formulation and labeling will make it easy to find the right one for your health needs.

Garden of Life. For the first time, customers can find Garden of Life products at Walmart stores and on Walmart.com. The brand’s clean-ingredient Vitamin Code formulas draw from 22 raw fruits and vegetables without the use of binders, artificial flavors, colors or sugars.

Natural Selection. Herbal and botanical natural plant products have been used throughout human history, and they’re still used today to treat a number of health conditions. We’re adding turmeric, maca root and magnesium powder, as well as choline, Boswellia and even shiitake, reishi and cordyceps mushroom powders. This is in addition to the existing herbs we offer, like beet root powder, cinnamon, garlic and cranberry.

Choices, Choices. Vitamins in one-bottle-fits-all can be a tough pill to swallow. Now, our customers can choose the vitamin pack that’s right for them – from daily packs to powders to real-fruit gummies to tablets.

This is a healthy dose of change, and we’re just getting started. Our goal is to ensure our customers get the best assortment of high-quality vitamins and supplements – at everyday low prices.

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FEBRUARY 4, 2019 5:11 PM

Stephanie Adams

I am otc mang at 593. My customers are upset about the label change on SV Fish Oil its so confusing. They also want all vitamins back in ABC order. Wish we could have more active Nut choices. Look into having a Wm GNC store.

DECEMBER 26, 2018 8:16 PM

Tom Babington

Many Walmart shoppers are likely unaware that many products in the Spring Valley vitamin lineup are manufactured in CHINA! Check the label if uncertain. Personally, I would not take any meds produced in that country.

MAY 2, 2018 9:58 AM

Laura Dambrosio

I love the new items, thr modular is still not easy to understand and the omega 3 has turned into a customer nightmare,because they dont understand it AT ALL. Its a daily,hourly teaching

FEBRUARY 4, 2019 5:15 PM

Stephanie Adams

Laura I just read all the comments. Why in the world would wm screw up the mod. Customers are ticked. Also who came up w the new labels on fish oil maybe they were high or something. NO ONE understands the labels. Maybe its written in Chinese lol.

Army Principles Helped This Walmart Manager Move Up the Ranks

Elise Hackstall no longer wears an Army uniform. But to this day, the military values she learned in her years of service still inform her identity.

Take, for example, the honor code she learned as a cadet at the U.S. Military Academy: She’s been known to quote it when talking to her 10-year-old daughter about the importance of honesty.

Then there’s a skill she honed as an Army personnel officer: Be direct and constructive, even when the message you’re conveying might be tough to hear.

For Hackstall, commitment, accountability and leadership weren’t abstract principles but essential traits that propelled her through a military career at Fort Knox.

When she joined Walmart, she quickly noticed a cultural overlap. The company's four basic beliefs had plenty in common with the seven Army values she already knew, sharing an emphasis on respect and integrity.

"A lot of it aligned with who I was," Hackstall says, "so that made Walmart a great fit for me."

That was over 10 years ago. Since then, Hackstall has been promoted multiple times. She started as a shift manager in Columbus, Georgia and became store manager at the biggest Walmart Supercenter in her market. That led her to an opportunity to move into human resources management.

Putting in the (Team) Work

Most recently, she moved back to operations as a developmental market manager, training to supervise teams across multiple stores. This position will give her the skills to apply for market manager positions that open up after her training is complete.

The training, along with her previous position as a market human resources manager across stores in four states, has introduced Hackstall to Walmart employees from a variety of backgrounds.

"It's really helped me to have a bigger appreciation of what kind of people make up our business—people from all over the country who help our stores to be successful," she says.

Hackstall's longstanding interest in human resources work extends back to her Army service at Fort Knox, Kentucky, where she was stationed after graduating from West Point. Hackstall served as a personnel officer and continued in human resources positions after transitioning to the Army Reserve in 2008.

She continued to serve as a reserve officer until this past spring, when she left the military to focus on her career with Walmart.

Hiring Heroes

Walmart is committed to recruiting former military members and matching them with jobs that fit their skills. Hackstall points out three skills that veterans often carry into civilian life: communication, commitment and accountability.

Military people know how to come up with a plan, articulate that plan and carry it out. When a store manager needs someone to run point on Black Friday, the biggest retail day of the year, she says, "If there's a veteran in the store, many times that's the person."

Hackstall adds that Walmart helps to create a network for the veterans it recruits. Recently, she talked with someone who was leaving the military and considering coming to Walmart. What advice did she offer?

"Anybody who joins Walmart will quickly realize whether the company is a fit for them or not," she says. "It's fast-paced, you have to be extremely adaptable, and you can't be rigid in your thought process."

"Limitless" Job Opportunities

Hackstall notes that Walmart offers a broad range of roles that might not be obvious to candidates who think mainly of the day-to-day tasks at a store. From medical services to real estate to information systems, Walmart's size creates all kinds of job types.

"There are limitless opportunities with this company," she says. "Whatever you want to do—short of being a brain surgeon or an astronaut—you can do for Walmart."

For Hackstall, spending time in her new role as developmental market manager fits with her long-term plan to gain experience in multiple facets of Walmart's business. When asked about the future, she doesn't hesitate.

"My end goal is to be the head of HR for the company," she says. "Every single position that I've taken has been to make sure that I am putting myself in a place where I can be competitive for that role."

In the ‘Nick’ of Time, Walmart Driver Helps Hurricane Baby

The week that Hurricane Michael hit Panama City, Florida, Nick Davis, like many other Walmart drivers, chose to forgo his regular trucking route.

With a shower trailer hitched to the back of his truck, he left his home in LaGrange, Georgia, to meet associates and their families at a local motel where they took shelter from damaged homes in the wake of the storm. That’s where he met Lorrainda, her husband, Wilmer, and their newborn son, Luke – a family in search of shelter after being discharged from the hospital and without a home only three days after Luke was born.

“If that was me and my family, I would want help.” Nick said, remembering the moment he saw Luke and his parents. So that’s what he did, along with several other Walmart truck drivers helping on the ground. “I was there at the right time and I wasn’t going to let them go.”

Nick and the team at the Walmart supercenter on Front Beach Road in Panama City Beach gathered last week to give Luke’s parents the baby shower they deserve, complete with one year of free Parent’s Choice diapers. You can see more of their story in the video above.

Editor’s note: Disaster relief remains one of the top priorities for charitable giving from Walmart, the Walmart Foundation and Sam’s Club, with a combined total of over $12 million contributed to hurricane response and relief just this year.